Next time you are in the library, check out the clothesline at the Welcome Desk. The 5th annual Knit for Others program is well underway and a dedicated group of generous knitters has supplied us with a wide variety of knitted items for donation. We are always looking for more knitters so if you have time, please contribute an item or two.

This year we are focusing on collecting hand knitted or crocheted items for our youngest neighbors who need warm and fuzzy winter wear. So far we have hat and mitten sets, child friendly scarves, sweaters, and even a few afghans.

"Miam-miam" is the appreciative exclamation you'll hear in Paris, as a delicious mouthful of food is consumed. To the American ear it even sounds like "yum, yum." Dorie Greenspan brings the art and craft of French cooking to life in her books as she shares recipes culled from 16 years of part-time Paris residency.

During moments of quiet, which are fleeting this time of year, I reflect on what I'm thankful for in life. We say we're thankful, but what does thankful really mean? I decided to look up the definition of thankful in The Oxford English Dictionary. Here's what resonates:

The holidays are the perfect time for at-home chefs to shine and display their enviable talents. After all, there's nothing that can impress a crowd quite like a delicious home-cooked feast. But this time of year can also be extremely daunting for those of us who are still trying to figure out the difference between broiling, braising, baking, and browning. Here are some cookbooks that truly start with the basics (how to boil water, anyone?) and include recipes that can make even the most novice cook more confident in the kitchen.

Perhaps the best part of browsing the shelves at the Princeton Public Library is stumbling across something truly unusual. It could be the content of the book or the form or both. I've been working here for quite awhile and below are some of my favorite finds. I encourage you to come in and check them out.

Every now and then, it's good to put yourself in someone else's shoes - or paws, fins, and claws! When you're in a reading rut, or if you're just looking for a book that's new and different, there's something to be said for stories told from an animal's perspective. Seeing the world from a non-human point of view can make for a supremely exciting, riveting read.

Last year, our Youth Services department, and specifically our Teen Center, underwent a freshening up. After reconfiguring our floor space and thinking about how it is used, we decided to purchase several MacBook PROs for afterschool use. We had been circulating e-readers and tablets, so this was a natural next step for us.

We made an initial purchase of eight laptops, and the kids went wild! We rolled out this new service a year ago and it has proven to be so popular that we recently invested in six more just to keep up with the demand.

In a world where STEM dominates the education landscape from PreK through college, the English major is sometimes viewed as a quaint anachronism. Back in a less STEM-crazed time, I was an English major, which meant I spent a lot of time in libraries searching the card catalog and periodical index — yes, I am old — for insights into the great works of literature we read and attempted to discuss.

Like other listeners across the nation, a lump formed in my throat when I heard that Tom Magliozzi, who was known to so many as half of NPR’s famed “Car Talk” hosts had died at the age of 77 from complications of Alzheimer’s Disease. Anyone who has stumbled across the show would instantly recognize one of the most infectious laughs ever recorded.

With the holidays around the corner (including Halloween), I have pulled out one of my favorite cookbooks and I am drooling over all of the fantastic fall and winter recipes in Ree Drummond’s book, "The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays." These step-by-step recipes, complete with pictures for reassuring guidance, might just provide the inspiration you need for your up-and-coming holiday table.